I love digging into and dissecting old Mother Goose rhymes!

The first thing I noticed about this nursery rhyme is that Jack Horner is sitting in the corner; a place usually associated with punishment for a childhood mischief; so from this we may determine that Jack has done something naughty.  But he does not think he is naughty and in fact evaluates himself as a good boy, by virtue of either the existence of a plum in his pie, or by the fact that he himself has the power to extract it.  Both seem rather egotistical and out-of-keeping with how children would have been expected to behave in those long, long years past. So what has really happened here?

​It seems that there was an abbot in Glastonbury during the time of King Henry VIII who decided to gift twelve manor houses to the King.  By this he hoped to dissuade the King from his plan to dissolve the Catholic monasteries.  The impending "Dissolution of the Monasteries" resulted in the terrible disassembly and destruction that we see today when visiting the ruins of these magnificent structures; which aren't actually "ruins" at all, but the result of King Henry the VIII's wilful destruction.  The story goes that Thomas Horner, a steward of the abbot, was sent to London with a Christmas Pie that contained the deeds to the twelve manor houses.  He "put in his thumb" and extracted the deed to one manor house ... which he kept for himself, and his descendants live in it to this day.  The alternate story is that he bought the manor house from the King.  Also quite plausible as, when he delivered the Christmas Pie, he may well have known what the pie contained and asked leave to purchase one of the houses.

Either way, it would seem that the writer of this rhyme viewed "Jack Horner" as a "naughty boy in the corner" (opportunist), who saw a "plum" (the manor house) ripe for the picking in the pie, and let him self-proclaim himself "a good boy" (deserving) who was justified in enjoying the good things in life.

Since the writer allows this - was Jack, in actuality, naughty or nice?  Such a great poem for the Christmas season!

The Fox and The Monkey - Aesop's Fables

A fox and a monkey were arguing about which of the two were "better born" and comparing their family trees.  When they passed a cemetery, the monkey stopped and gave a great sigh.  The fox was perplexed and asked the monkey to explain his sorrow.  The monkey pointed to the tombstones and told the fox that all those monuments were placed in honour of his forefathers; who in their day were very eminent men indeed.  At first the fox was speechless at this revelation about his companion.  However, he quickly recovered when he realized, and reminded the monkey, that it was very unlikely any of his illustrious ancestors would rise up out of their graves and dispute the matter.

Moral: Boasters brag most when no one is around to expose them

Common sense seems to be in short supply these days.  Or is it only me who feels this way?  Actually, I think common sense is making a comeback!  We simply can't go on the way we have been unless we go back to "showin' a bit o' common".  

"Show a bit of common, mate!"  is an English expression that is usually expressed in exasperation when someone does something that is just too ridiculous to explain to them and begs that common sense be applied to the situation.  One of my favourite TV characters, Stan Butler, used this expression in "On the Buses", a popular British television series in the 1970s.  It just got added to my vocabulary!

I'm absolutely smitten with Hollyhocks this year! They are a magical must-have for any garden and I'm pleased to say they have been successfully added to the Grove.

The English flower folk name "Hollyhock" is thought to be comprised of "holy" and "hoc".  "Holy", from the flower's copious use in the Holy Land and Egypt; and "Hoc" meaning part of the mallow plant family.  Hollyhocks were and are present in Europe, Japan, the Middle East and North America - this plant species is believed to have originated in China ... and travelled far, arriving in England during the 16th Century.

Hollyhocks symbolize "female ambition" and with such beautiful blooms, and an average growth of 6 to 10 feet ... it is easy to see why!  Due, I suspect, to their height and the possibility of needing staking or protection from the wind, you often see these flowers growing against the sides of houses, along rock walls or garden fences and no English cottage garden would be complete without Hollyhocks. They are also heavily present in graveyards, perhaps as a remembrance that they were used long ago in the funeral preparations of the Ancient Egyptians.  This magical flower has been used in a variety of ways including a soothing way to wrap bruises or a horse's sore hoof (hence another folk name "Hockleaf" and perhaps another origination for "Hoc"?).  The fairies often use the blooms for skirts or other clothing and so adding these flowers to your garden are sure to please the wee folk as well.

I've recently discovered the existence of "black" Hollyhocks, which are actually a very deep, dark purple ... I would love to add them to our garden as there are a number of "night" plants I want to cultivate.  Quick as a flash, no sooner had I voiced this wish, then a friend mentioned she was popping some black Hollyhock seeds in the mail to me.  Never doubt the existence of magic in a garden!

I love the tradition of Boxing Day wherein you fill a box and give it to your servants to help make their Christmas bright and also to show your appreciation for a year's work - kind of like the modern Christmas Bonus!

The idea originated, partially, because servants had to wait on their employers and their guests all day on Christmas Day -- cleaning, cooking, serving, receiving guests, taking coats, stabling the horses, etc. etc. etc.!  So the grateful employers would fill a box, the following day, with all kinds of left-over goodies from cakes, pies, meats and treats ... and also old clothes that they no longer needed. The servants would then take these boxes back to their families and celebrate their Christmas on Boxing Day.  That's only one variation of this very old tradition but it is a particularly nice and generous one.  Other versions include people going door-to-door to homes of rich people on Boxing Day, carrying with them their own box, and gratefully receiving any bits and bobs that the households might no longer need and were happy to pass on to the less fortunate. Or sometimes, the wealthy would make a day of it and go about to the homes of those in need, or of their servants, and drop the goodies off themselves - remember Bob Cratchitt's turkey!

I received a nice big cardboard box this year from out-of-town relatives filled with lovely Christmas gifts. I was just about to recycle it when I decided that, while I don't have any servants, I'm going to fill the box with items around the house and take it to our local Salvation Army or Women's Shelter.  And maybe I better also leave out a wee offering for those little fairy folk in my house and garden who perform a few important tasks around the Grove too!